By Andrew Preston
Aaron Hall grew up watching the Tennessee Volunteers play on Saturdays. There, he would grow to idolize his favorite football player, former Tennessee and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.
Hall, however, decided watching sports was simply not enough. Rather than calling the plays for a career, he knew he wanted to become involved in the industry. T
hat led him to pursue a degree in physical therapy.
“For college I decided to do something a little different than my friends in high school, instead of going to UTK (University of Tennessee-Knoxville) I came to Nashville to attend Lipscomb,” said Hall, Trevecca’s new assistant professor of exercise and sport science.
Hall will be asked to do more than teach. Hall will be responsible for coordinating all exercise science majors’ internships, as well as founding an exercise and sport science club on campus. Hall hopes to soon take some of his students on a mission trip in the future.
“I’ll be finding our students clinical sites and other opportunities to serve and get real world experience,” said Hall.
In his first semester as a professor, Hall has mostly upperclassmen in his three classes: Therapeutic Modalities (EXS 3510), Physiology of Exercise Fitness (EXS 4090) and Assessment Exercise Prescription (EXS 4300).
“He’s a really personable guy. He’s a young professor, so he relates well really well too us as students,” said junior exercise and sport science major, Colton Fincher.
Hall, who earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Lipscomb in 2008, continued his studies in Memphis at University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) earning a DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) in 2011.
Upon graduation, Hall returned to Nashville where he practiced at Star Physical Therapy for the past six years.
“The department is glad to have him on board. His experience in the clinical setting is really valuable to our students. He fits the mission of the department which is “Education. Equip. Empower,” so it wasn’t a hard decision for us to hire,” said department chair of exercise and sport science Brenda Patterson.
“I had always heard about Trevecca, but I never really thought anything else of it. It was just another Christian school here in town,” said Hall. “I wanted to get into teaching, but I didn’t want to go to a big public school where I was going to have 400 students.”
Once Hall began to search for a job on the market, there was really only one element he was looking for in a school. He wanted a small, Christian environment, much like his Alma Mater.
“Going to a private Christian school myself, I loved the atmosphere. I wanted to be in a place where I could really share my faith and also allow my students to be prepared for graduate school, but more importantly, life,” said Hall.
Coming into a new university setting, having no prior knowledge in the field of education before left Hall with many uncertainties.
“Before coming here I never knew what a Nazarene was, but I knew there were several churches. I went online and pretty much all the core beliefs of what a Nazarene believes my wife and I agree with,” said Hall.
Finding his place in the classroom has been enjoyable, although the majority of his students are upperclassmen.
“I want my students who go on to graduate school to be so well prepared that their first semester of grad school will be mostly review. I want their professors to see that this student went to Trevecca and that means something,” said Hall.
Hall added that his goal for his undergraduate students are similar.
“I want them to go into whatever field they choose to pursue and know that the education they received at Trevecca was worth it. That they have the knowledge and understanding to be competitive in the field of exercise science is important to me,” said Hall. “My goal is to grow this department so future students are blown away with our facilities and also the faculty. I want to build a reputation for this department and school to show that we are successful.”
In his short time at Trevecca, Hall has said he has made several new friends and enjoys the campus community of Trevecca.
“The staff here have been really welcoming. My students have been really engaged in class and in my interactions with them,” said Hall. “The engaging classroom atmosphere is what I enjoy the most. It’s the reason we are all here, to learn.”
Hall’s Bio Box:
Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings
Hobbies: Triathlons, running, biking, swimming. Recently completed a full Iron-Man race in Chattanooga.
Favorite music/artist: Spanish music- Salsa dancing
Favorite sports team: University of Tennessee Football
Role model: Grandfather- Former Air Force pilot/preacher
Classes taught:
EXS 3510- Therapeutic Modalities
EXS 4090- Physiology of Exercise
EXS 4300- Fitness Assessment/ Exercise Prescription
